“I just want to be happy.”
“Is happiness obtainable?”
“Well sure it is!”
“Well what would make you happy?”
“Let’s see…If I could just get that promotion; marry that special person; graduate from college; have children; close that deal of a lifetime; let that prognosis be benign; become famous; save my business; become a millionaire; get a job; retire; get my kids on a good path…. then I would be happy.”
“For how long?”
Hmmm… We all know the answer to that question. Happiness is elusive and cannot be captured and put in a bottle to be used and reused. It fades faster than a cut flower in the hot sun. It’s like manna in that we can enjoy its sweet delectable honey flavor but for a day, but happiness will not last and in fact will be filled with worms and stink on those rainy days.
Life consists of happy times and sad times. Both are temporary conditions and we will taste them equally as we careen through life.
It is far better to seek lasting joy in our lives.
Huh?
Happiness – Joy – What kind of semantics quiz is that? Aren’t they the same?
Nope, happiness is an emotion and is temporary and is directly related to something currently happening to us as individuals. When things are good and we get what we want, we feel happy. On the other hand, when things go south and disappoint, we feel sad.
Joy is much deeper than happiness. According to the Bible, joy is not a shallow emotion that is based upon some good event that occurs in our lives that quickly dissipates whenever we tire of it, or some catastrophe suddenly comes down upon us like a landslide and rips it away from our grasp.
Joy is a reliable spiritual state that God instills into our hearts via His Holy Spirit. It lasts forever.
Joy is something that endures in spite of landslides and the storms of life. When happiness fades away, joy remains. Joy is something that is bigger than you and me and our current circumstances. Joy is a God thing. Along with Joy God brings His peace that surpasses human understanding to the epicenter of our storms and with it hope and love.
The Bible states that “for the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross”. Jesus prayed so hard that he actually sweated blood as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and prepared Himself for the painful torture and cruel death that He knew that He must endure in our stead. No one in their right mind would think Jesus was happy about having to endure what He was facing, but He knew joy at the same time. He knew that soon His incomprehensible love was going to be poured out for us in order that we might be reunited with Him and death would be destroyed forever. Jesus knew joy even in His darkest hour.
To transition from happiness into suffering and still retain peace and joy requires faith which births hope as we steadfastly look to our future which is certain and sure and brighter than any star or sun. This is a move that encompasses and engages rather than avoids suffering. We should take notes and when faced with adversity look to the end which we accept by faith will turn out good for those who love the Lord.
Not to be lost in this discussion is love. Jesus said, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.
We must break out of our limited self interests and do just that in order to succeed. Think about it for a moment, won’t you? Jesus said these were the two most important commandments in the entire Bible and in fact all of the laws and the words of the prophets hang on these simple but vitally important principles.
I’ve been working very hard on my success seminar, (which as a reminder you must register by September 1st if you wish to take advantage of the 10% preregistration discount). As I have prayed for guidance and worked on this course, God has revealed more to me about this subject than I had ever known. It’s very exciting.
This entire matter of “I just want to be happy” reminds me of people who seem to think that finding happiness is what success is all about. It’s not. In fact success is finding and living God’s peace, joy, love, and hope.
A great Christian and tireless prison ministry friend of mine wrote the following e-mail to me yesterday in regard to my Success Seminar and the workbook I’m developing for the program and how it might be used to further his friend’s ministry:
“… the idea exploded in my mind that your workbook/course just might be a tremendous God sent tool for his 300 Chaplains to use in the prisons, not only in America, but possibly in other countries. How do you feel about launching an Army of soldiers with the tools, training, and Heart Transplant necessary to overcome the curse of recidivism and hold the fort for His Truth?”
I feel pretty good about it and in fact it’s downright hard to contain my excitement. I truly believe that understanding both the practical things that are necessary for us to do in order to succeed combined with the spiritual resources that we can tap into will help anyone and everyone succeed. I mean com’n, if I could become successful in life with all of my baggage and demons, anyone can, (including prisoners who will at some point be released into society and either become productive and useful members of our society or end right back up in prison because they do not understand these simple concepts or are unwilling to give them a try).
If you know those who might benefit from this information, please feel free to write me about how you can share it in your ministry. There is no charge for it, but you must give it away and not sell it except to cover costs.
Read the following verse and it will give you an idea of some joy that will be available to the followers of Christ in the future to look forward to. Now that’s the kind of happiness that will endure forever…
Isaiah 55:12
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”